Stunt planes, already, Chellie? I'd be recommending something like the ParkZone Corsair, or maybe the ParkZone P-47 Thunderbolt. At least do the research. ParkZone makes some good stuff, and my PZ Corsair (the previous version, which I've had over 5 years now) is a super easy flyer. I keep the cg just a little forward, and you have to try hard to stall her! Unlike what you hear about a lot of warbirds. And a little more lively than the Apprentice, but not much. But you still get to have that taildragger fun. So I think it would be worth the effort, if you like warbirds, too read real people's reviews on those 2 planes. See if they follow the original PZ Corsair mold, so to speak.

It was my second plane after the Apprentice, but I must confess, I soloed my non-SAFE Apprentice on my second flight probably because of my years of sim experience. So maybe I think it was easier than others, but I doubt it. I just think with thoise stunt planes can become a handful fast. If not the warbirds, surely there must be some other sport planes a little more docile than the aerobats?

+1 on the Corsair. It's a super easy plane to fly, as stable as many trainers. The only issues my flying buddy had with his was knocking the landing gear off, but I understand that weakness is improved on the newer versions.

Aerobatic models aren't usually 'hard' to fly as such, but they don't have any inbuilt stability, so they aren't as forgiving of mistakes as something like the Corsair.

Stunt planes, already, Chellie? I'd be recommending something like the ParkZone Corsair, or maybe the ParkZone P-47 Thunderbolt. At least do the research. ParkZone makes some good stuff, and my PZ Corsair (the previous version, which I've had over 5 years now) is a super easy flyer. I keep the cg just a little forward, and you have to try hard to stall her! Unlike what you hear about a lot of warbirds. And a little more lively than the Apprentice, but not much. But you still get to have that taildragger fun. So I think it would be worth the effort, if you like warbirds, too read real people's reviews on those 2 planes. See if they follow the original PZ Corsair mold, so to speak.

It was my second plane after the Apprentice, but I must confess, I soloed my non-SAFE Apprentice on my second flight probably because of my years of sim experience. So maybe I think it was easier than others, but I doubt it. I just think with thoise stunt planes can become a handful fast. If not the warbirds, surely there must be some other sport planes a little more docile than the aerobats?

Sure why Not The Apprentice has very little dihedral on the main wing, its almost flat, so a Stunt Plane wont be that much different, just have to keep the speed up a little more when landing so it does not want to tip stall, a Corsair would be a nice choice too,

I may be getting Older, But I Refuse to grow Up I am Having to much Fun to Grow Up LOL

Chellie has listed some real gems there in the sport category. What type of field to fly from? Grass? Pavement? Dirt? I have both tail draggers and trikes and prefer the trikes on grass. Do you like Warbirds? Lots of tail dragging options there. How much do you want to spend? Looking for something fast and sporty? Do you like Gladiator movies? Just kidding.

Though not a tail-dragger, many including myself have gone to the PZ T-28 as a step up from the high wings. A great second plane.

FMS and Freewing are my current favorites in Warbirds. Check out www.motionrc.com Free shipping. My recent tail dragging additions to the squadron have been the 1450mm P-51 and the Freewing Mosquito.

Also have the Dynam FW-190 and Spitfire. Cheap thrills. My only civilian tail dragger is a Maxford Temco Globe Swift. Pretty cool plane with a rich Texas history. Balsa.

HK has a pretty good selection of sport planes as Chellie has pointed out. I have an Edge 540T balsa/foam combo. Pretty nice and not very expensive. I think Jet has one also. By sport, do you want 3D capability? or just more aerobatic than you have now ?

If you go with balsa and crash they are generally thrown in the bin unless you know someone like Chellie. An EPO foam airframe might be a good option from a repair standpoint.

It's not April the 1st anymore.... I dont think it's a good idea leading a newbie to believe that flying a 3D aerobatic, or even more so, a high performance pylon racer model would be "not much different" to a Apprentice basic trainer

They are VERY different. Maybe he could make the jump if he's a fast learner and if he had someone to help, but with balsa models like those you dont get second chances if you screw up. Personally I'd say all the models you listed were too much of a jump for the vast majority of new flyers.

The tried and true E-Flight Pulse is a very good step-up from the mundane and plenty of room to grow into....I've flown this craft, don't own one yet due to my bipe fetish. It's very predictable, no bad habits, can be flown docile and handles breezy conditions quite well.

Like most Horizon Parkzone and E-Flight craft, made very well, looks good, but a little on the pricey side if one only wants to spend $100.00.

I missed the part about only wanting to spend $100.00 The Sig idea is a good one IMO. I'd narrow a few choices down and look up swap meets. It's amazing the type of deals you can find on quality planes. Even Craigslist sometimes or the LHS where guys hang them up for consignment.

Nothing wrong with a slightly experienced plane if she's in good shape. Bought a used Deuces Wild, Escapade and Piper Cherokee that way for about 20 cents on the dollar.
Chellie has so many planes maybe she would part with one. LOL

One of my latest good deals came from Tower Hobbies. The Phoenix EMB-312 Tucano for $125.00 shipped. Just added motor, esc and 4 servos for another $100.00. Great plane.

$35bucks, buy your own electronics from Hobby king or headsuphobby.com on the cheap.
Take a few hours to build & assemble. Build it light, fly it, throw it around, crash it and repair it, paint it, put lights on it, and it has ample dihedral & very light wing loading for learning tail draggers.
Its nothing special, instructions are lacking, and half the little parts that come with it you just throw away!
But there are a few threads to search for info and improvements.

Although, I have to say +1 on the Parkzone Corsair a/c, if you like scale warbirds. They are the most popular and very good flyers.

Its also a good idea IMO to buy cheap & not too shiny first as to "break in" your wife/gf. In a year or so, You definitely don't want to be sleeping with your 8 planes, outside, in the rain, in the dark!!

BTW, I remember some old thread converting a Apprentice to a tail dragger, kinda cool, just a thought.

I would suggest the Mini Switch, other than price. It is good as a high wing, yet is faster and more nimble than the Apprentice would be. It becomes even better when you put it into low wing. What is good about it is that you can ease into low wing, getting used the speed first.

It's not April the 1st anymore.... I dont think it's a good idea leading a newbie to believe that flying a 3D aerobatic, or even more so, a high performance pylon racer model would be "not much different" to a Apprentice basic trainer

They are VERY different. Maybe he could make the jump if he's a fast learner and if he had someone to help, but with balsa models like those you dont get second chances if you screw up. Personally I'd say all the models you listed were too much of a jump for the vast majority of new flyers.

Maybe your Right I tend to be Fearless, and jump right in with both feet in everything i do, maybe i might be passing that on here a formosa would be a good choice too

I may be getting Older, But I Refuse to grow Up I am Having to much Fun to Grow Up LOL

The tried and true E-Flight Pulse is a very good step-up from the mundane and plenty of room to grow into....I've flown this craft, don't own one yet due to my bipe fetish. It's very predictable, no bad habits, can be flown docile and handles breezy conditions quite well.

Like most Horizon Parkzone and E-Flight craft, made very well, looks good, but a little on the pricey side if one only wants to spend $100.00.

the mini pulse is $75 cheaper and uses small cheap batteries and 9 gram servos and flys almost identicle. i think this is a good recommendation.

i like park fliers so i don't have to pull wings to load up.

if you like eflight, i really liked my mini ultra stick, mini pulse (dads, but i got a lot of stick time) and my alpha 450 sport. i think it would fly the exact same as an aprentice with less weight and computer nanny's.

Thanks to all for your suggestions. I am trying to avoid a balsa built-up plane at this time. I have narrowed the list (subject to change) to four planes---(1) Parkzone T-28 (2) Parkzone Artizan (3) Parkzone Corsair (4) Great Planes Electrifly Super Sportster 40". The Sportster in in last place because of its light weight--22 ozs--and whether it could handle much wind. I have seen all the Parkzones fly at my local field and I like them all. The Corsair might be a tad hard to see with my old eyes (see P.S. below)---blue on blue color scheme. The T-28, of which I have not heard one negative word, is, of course, a trike, and I really wanted a tail-dragger. The Artizan is a flat wing, with fully (?) symmetrical airfoil--very aerobatic with good slow flying characteristics. So . . .I am still thinking. Thanks again, Gary (P.S. I am an old (78) RCer who has been out of the hobby for almost 20 years because of living close to Cheyenne, WY. with its incredible windy weather. Moved to Tucson last summer and the weather here quickly revived my interest. Still rubbing off some rusty edges with the Apprentice, but looking ahead. )

Cheaper, larger AND has retracts.
The retracts on this series have been very good to me. Struts bend before you break anything and they straighten easily.

Essentially the same material for the foam. Very durable and easily repaired if you do manage to break it. Generally replacing the plane means you think it got too ugly from the repairs, not that you couldn't fix it.

If you don't mind building a kit (in this case an extremely beginner friendly one) I highly recommend the EVA Sport from Mountain Models.
Easy to build. Easy to fly with a very wide performance range.
Best part is if you want to try 3D you can build and attach a 3d wing. Want a biplane? Build and attach the bipe wing.